Parking garage



.Aug 2, l932- E. GEIGER PARKING GARAGE Filed Nov. 2s. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY E. GEIGER PARKING GARAGE Aug. 2, 1932.

Filed Nov. 28, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ww in A mh mm wm n@ .QQ/ @A .Sq MQ .d .www No m2 uw ww hm Q www Swwm i ww mw /UATTORNEY Aug. 2, 1932.

E. GElGER PARKING GARAGE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 28, 1928 INVENTOR Erm/S gef/ger BY l TTORNEY Patented Aug. 2, 1932 ERNST 'GEBGEL IRVINGTONZ, JERSEY PARKING GARAGE Appncanqn fusa November 2s, .1928. serial No. 322,330.

The device -of Athe present invention, while capable of a wide ran-ge of utility for purposes-of conveying and storing merchandise, finds its preferred embodiment in a mechan- 5 ical garage, primarily adapted for parking purposes.

rin object of the invention is vto provide a parking -ga-rage which vmay be built u-p to any desired height on a comparatively sma-ll 10 lot and which is semi-automatic in operation.

Another object is to provide a garage in which all of the parked cars are readily accessiblc for expeditious delivery to 'their ownand garage in which the car handling 7-'3 equipment is of au extremely simple, inexpensive nature. More specifically s uch equipment is rugged, durable7 requires little power to operate 'and embodies no vcomplex mechanism vof a character which is likely to get out of order.

The garage preferably includes an elevator adapted to receive or deliver cars at the street level and carry them to or from any n desired parking Afloor. On each. parking iioor means are provided `for-receiving the car from the elevator and shifting it vto .a remote but readily accessible position. in contradistinction to prior devices of this nature, n, the car parkingapparatus is not a mere truck "i to shift the cars about Vbut is in the nature of a movable parking platform upon which cars are retained during their entire period of storage in the garage. Preferably on each is parking iioor there are a. series of these platu" forms connected together to form endless trains movable and guidedin horizontal orbital path so that any desired car-carrying platform maybe readily brought into alinement or operative relationship with the .felowtor and any empty platform may be vcoinveniently similarly alined therewith. Pref erabjly, at vleast two elevators vare used, one for conveying the vcars `to the storage floors and one for reconveyi-ng them to thev street. The particular number-of elevators, however, is dependent in large :measure upon the car handling capacity of the garage, Iit being ob- 'fious that an insufcient number of elevators 50 would seriously slow up the hand-ling of cars and defeat oneiof the primary objects ofthe invention. y

With 'the :above :noted .and otherv objects in vie v, the in 7entionv consists in certain novel features olf construction and combinations 55 and arrangements of parts which will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in fthe claims.

The invention may be more fully runder-- stood from :the following description in con- 50 nection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through a garage structure embodying the present invention, this View being largely 50 diagramma-tic and omitting a showing Vof the parking mechanism and the driving means therefor.

F ig. 2 is -a sectional plan View taken approximately on the line 2 2 of Fig. l and 7@ showing the vcar handling equipment and drive.

Fig. 3 is :an enlarged transverse sectional view through one of the platforms and its l associated driving vand guiding mechanism 7b taken approximately on the line `3--3 of Fig. 2. This view indicates in dotted lines the position assumed by lthe wheels of an -automobile parked on the platform.

Fig. i isan enlarged fragmentary plan View of one of the parking platforms.

is an enlarged sectional detail on the line 5 5-of Fig. 3, and

Fig. '6 is an Aenlarged sectional detail on the V:line 6-16of Fig. 5. il

Referring yfirst to Figs. l and '2 of the draw-ings, vin which rthe *buildin-g structure appears, I have used the reference numerals 10-10 'to' designate the s-ide walls of a long, narrow building having a 4rear wall l1, roof 12 and a basement 13. The dimensions of the building are of -course subject to great variation 'but the drawings indicate typical proportions Aof a building which is I.about -25 feet in width and 150 yfeet in depth.

Set inwardly from the front/of the building and directly in yli-ne with the pair o-f driveways 14 -and 15 at the street level are a pai-r .of parallel elevator shaftways 16 and 17 running the lfull height of the Vbuilding and accommodating elevators 18 and 19 of a conventional design (preferably automatic). The space between the driveways 14 and 15 at the ground floor in the building may conveniently accommodate a central control house 20, which houses the control mechanism for the car parking equipment to be later described and which has a window 21 therein through which an employee of the garage may transact business with the drivers of entering cars. Gasoline pumps 22 and other standard equipment of a filling station may also be provided at this point.

The space between the elevator shaft ways 16 and 17 and the front wall 23 of the building may at the ground floor be conveniently occupied for oiice space or storage space or any other purpose desired, and may be subdivided into any suitable number of floors 24. Preferably a stairway 25 is disposed between the shaftways 16 and 17.

The space between the elevator shaftways and the rear wall 11 of the building is horizontally subdivided into any suitable number of car parking floors 2G constituting extensions of floors 24 and each of which is provided with a similar car parking equipment in the nature of the endless trains of parking platforms which l shall later describe.

In compliance with prevailing laws as to the setback or terracing of buildings, the floors 24 preferably terminate well below the tops of the elevator shaftways and these shaftways at their tops are roofed over as at 27, provided with skylights 28 and with platforms 29 for the accommodation of the standard motors and other operating mechanism of the elevator.

Preferably the parking oors 26 are built up to a height which exceeds the height of the series of floors 24 but is slightly less than the projecting towers or tops of the elevator shaftvvays.

The car parking equipment which is used on each of thel parking floors 26 is identical and a description of one set of equipment will suffice for an explanation of all of them.

This equipment is best seen in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive. Each floor 26 is provided with an endless generally oval track 30 to guide the movement of the endless series of car parking platforms 31.

One convenient method of forming the tracks 30 is by the use of spaced I-beams 32, the tops of which are disposed approximately flush with or slightly above the sur face of each floor and deine a space between them adapted to receive guiding rollers 33, to which the platforms 31 are connected.

Rollers 33 are preferably mounted with their axes in a vertical plane and the ends of these rollers are flanged as at 34 to straddle and interlock with the inwardly projecting flanges of the track beams 32.

Each car parking platform includes a relatively low body or central portion 35 provid-ed at its lateral edges with downwardly turned flanges 36 to which may be riveted or otherwise secured as at 37 upturned flanges 33 at the ends of low laterally projecting steps 39 upon which the wheels 40 of a car are adapted to rest.

Preferably near each corner of the body portions 30 and concealed under such body portions are traction wheels 4l mounted in freely swivelling yokes 42 secured to the underface of the body. llear each end of the body are supporting trucks, each of which includes a pair of traction wheels 43 connected by an axle 44. rlhese wheels roll on the tops of the l-beams rlhe axle includes a tail piece 45 extending between the arms of a yoke 46 rigidly secured tothe body 35 by brackets 47 or equivalent devices.

A coupling pin 48 dropped through alined apertures 49, 50 and 51 in the yoke 46, tailpiece 45 and the roller 33 respectively, serves to couple the platform 35, 39 to the truck and serves to couple the truck to the rollers 33 which travel in the track 30.

Truck units are provided at both the front and rear end of each platform and the forward truck of one platform is connected to the rear truck of an adjacent one by a coupling rod 52, preferably jointed or sectional as shown and having a swivel connection as 53 with the tongues or draw bars 54 at each truck.

rlhe intermediate portion of the coupling rod 52 is downwardly offset and slightly flattened so that it may conveniently clear steps 39 when the platforms are being swung around the curved portions of their orbits.

For convenience of assembly, replacement and repair the bodies or central portions 35 of each platform are cut away as at 55 to expose the trucks. Simply lifting out the coupling pins 48 permits the convenient disassembly of any platform and truck. Each platform being connected both fore and aft to adjacent ones by the coupling rods 52, there is provided an endless train of car parking platforms, the orbital movement of which is guided by a track 30 and the weight of which i s sustained by 'the traction wheels 41 and 43 in such a manner that no substantial downward thrust is imposed upon the rollers 33 which might tend to shear off their track-engaging flanges 34.

Numerous expedients may be resorted to for d iving the endless chains of parking platforms in such a manner that any desired platform may be brought into registration with either of the elevator' shaftways 16 and 1?. rlhe drive mechanism which l have shown is extremely simple, readily accessible for repair purposes and quite unlikely to require any special attention even over long periods of time.

Cil

This drive, best seen in Figs. 3, and 6, includes pairs of sprocket wheels 56 and 57, mounted in cutaway portions 58 of the floors 26, and with their peripheries projecting through. cutaway portions 59 in one of the rails 32. Travelling around, the sprocket wheels is an endless" chain 60, 'one run' of which is accommodated in a groove or cutout 61 in the floor 26 and the other run of which travels in the space between the rails 32. Certain of the chain links are provided with laterally extending' pairs of arms 62 adapted to embrace the reduced intermediate portion of the rollers 33 and drag these rollers along the guideways. y

Sprocket wheel 57 is preferably an idler and the sprocket wheel 56 is keyedy to a countershaft 63 journalled in vertical bearings 64 beneath the floor 26 and carrying a skew gear 65 driven from a worm 66 on the driving shaft 67 of a motor 68. i

To strengthen the construction of the platforms 35 which are preferably of fairly heavy gauge sheet metal a suitable number of transverse bracing members such as the angle irons 70 and longitudinal braces such as the angle irons 71 may be secured to the underfaces of the body forming plates 35.

One convenient control mechanism adapted to be operated from the central control house 20 to regulate the motors 68 is shown in a copending application. Sufice it to say that each endless chain of parking platforms is controlled from the central control house, where by simply pushing a button or throwing a switch the entire platform train may be set in motion to bring any desired platform into proper position relatively to the shaftway 16 or 17 to discharge or receive a car, as the case may be.

In Fig. 2 I have shown one of the platforms aligned with the sha-ftway of the outgoing elevator 19. In this position there is a free and unobstructed path or driveway or floor space between the registering platform and the waiting elevator 19. While I have not sh own the position of the platforms when one of them is alined with the shaftway of the elevator 18, a similar condition will exist at "I this time and the car may be driven from the waiting elevator on to a waiting platform without interference from any of the other platforms. This arrangement of course per- Y mits continuous forward driving of the cars;

that is to say, the carsy drive in on the driveway 14 and enter the elevator, are driven forwardly on to a waiting platform and when the cars are returned to their owners they are driven forwardly from the platform into the elevator 19 and driven forwardly out of the elevator on to the driveway 15.

Such an arrangement avoids any need for careful backing or manipulation ofthe cars to be parked. The cars may be delivered to It is important that the platforms be as low as practicable vinV order that the iioor space which'is enclosed within the endless track 30 may be used for dead storage space, car parking spaces being indicated at 'l' 5 on this iioor.

When cars are parked in the spaces 75 it is i possible to unload one parking platformin order that these cars may be driven over it to the elevator or maybe driven on to the empty platform and thus conveyed to the elevator.

The fact that'the platforms are quite low andthe furtherfact that the steps 89 break the distance between the platform and the ioor, permits an automobile to be driven'over an unloaded platform without ditculty and without danger of jamming the car wheels or injuring the platforms. In practice the platforms even at their highest points will not be more than 6 to 8 inches above the floor and when unloaded will afford no serious obstruction to the moving of cars which may be parked in the dead car storage spaces at 75.

It is believed that operation of the garage will be fully apparent from the foregoing general description and discussion. It is to be understood of course that the control mechanism which is provided in the control house 2O has Vassociated therewith suitable indicating mechanism which will permit the man at the controls to definitely locate and identify at all times the 'exact position of a car parked on any platform of any of the platform trains. He may thus by selection of the proper push-button for the proper endless platform train set such train in motion and have the desired c ar waiting at the outgoing elevator by the time the owner reaches the floor on which his car has been stored. Similarly empty platforms are always indicated in the control room and an empty platform will always be in readiness to receive an incoming car from the elevator 18.

Obviously, at the ground floor, as best seen in Fig. 1 the elevators 18 and 19 simply serve as bridges connecting the driveways 14 and 15 with the car parking equipment atthe ground floor. Preferably either the basementof the building or the ground floor or both are devoted to car washing and servicing stations rather than to car storage, although such an arrangementA is entirely optional with Athe various garage owners and will depend of course on local conditions and the requirements of the trade.

While the term platforms has been used arbitrarily for convenience of description 19 throughout the specification to designate the wheeled and guided car parking and carrying elements, it is to be understood that this term isnot to be interpreted in a limited sense and is intended tocover anyequipment of an roo nio

analogous type which is suitable for the purpose.

Certain considerations should be borne in mind in the construction of the car carrying platforms. In the first place the lower these platforms are the less the head room which is required, and by using the extremely low carriers illustrated I avoid the necessity for providing` great distance between the iioors and ceilings of the storage floors. By slightly curving the steps of each platform inwardly at the ends I provide an automatic guide for a car as it is rolled on to the platform. vWith the car in position the central or body portion of the platform projects upwardly between the wheels and tends to effectively prevent the parked automobile from sliding laterally off the platform in the event that the latter' is carried sharply around a turn in the track. It will be obvious that various mechanisms might be provided for positively locking the wheels of the automobiles against fore and aft movement if desired, but under ordinary conditions it is sufficient for the driver or the garage attendant to apply the brakes after the car has been driven on to the waiting carriage.

What I claim is:

l. In apparatus of the class described, a pair of spaced rails forming a track, a carriage including a low platform, front and rear trucks swivably supporting the same on said rails, rollers mounted on the trucks extending into the space between the rails and engaging the same to prevent tilting of the platform.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a car parking carriage including a low platform, front and rear trucks swivably supporting the same and low automobile wheel supporting steps at the sides of the platform laterally beyond the trucks, a draw bar connected to one of the trucksof adjacent carriages and means pendent from one truck of each carriage adapted to travel in a guiding track for the carriage.

3. In combination, a track including a pair of -spaced rails, parking carriages including t "ticks, the traction wheels of which travel on the rails and means independent of said traction wheels pendent from the carriage and entering between and guided by the rails.

4, In combination, a track including al pair of spaced rails, parking carriages including trucks, the traction wheels of which travel on the rails and means pendent from the carriage entering between and guided by the rails, said means including king pins coupling the trucks to the carriages and engaged with roller means travelling between the rails.

5. A guiding and driving construction for a wheeled carriage including a pair of spaced track-forming rails, a roller disposed between the rails and interlocked therewith against axial movement, said roller adapted to receive a pendent coupling device from a carriage travelling on or adjacent the track and means for moving the rollers along the track to actuate the carriage..

6. In combination, a track including a pair of spaced rails, parking carriages including trucks, the traction wheels of which travel on the rails and means pendent from the carriage entering between and guided by the rails, said means including king pins coupling the trucks to the carriages and engaged with roller means travelling between the rails and interlocked therewith.

7. In combination, a track including a pair of spaced rails, parking carriages including trucks, the traction wheels of which travel on the rails and means pendent from the carriage entering between and guided by the rails, said means including king pins coupling the trucks to the carriages and engaged with roller means travelling between the rails, and means working through one of tbe rails engageable with the rollers to draw the same along the tracks and actuate the carriage.

8. A guiding and driving construction for a wheeled carriage including a pair of spaced track-forming rails, a roller disposed between the rails and interlocked therewith against axial movement, said roller adapted to receive a pendent coupling device from a carriage travelling on or adjacent the track and means for moving the rollers along the track to actuate the carriage.

9. A guiding and driving construction for a wheeled carriage including a pair of spaced track-forming rails, a roller disposed between the rails and interlocked therewith against axial movement, said roller adapted to receive a pendent coupling device from a carriage travelling on or adjacent the track and means for moving the rollers along the track to actuatethe carriage, comprising a chain, the active run of which lies between the rails.

10; In combination, a pair of spaced rails forming a track, carriages including trucks, the traction wheels ofwhich travel on the rails, rollers pending from the trucks and mounted rotatably on a. vertical axis, the tops and bottoms of said rollers engaging the rails to prevent tilting of the carriages.

1l. In combination, a pair of spaced rails forming a track, parking carriages including trucks, the traction wheels of which travel on the rails, rollers pending from the trucks engaging the rails to guide the carriages and to prevent them from tilting, and a removable king pin, coupling roller and truck to the carriage.

12. A guiding and driving construction for a car parking carriage, including a pair of spaced track forming rails, trucks mounted on the carriages and traveling on the rails, rollers pending from the trucks and disposed IOS between and interlocking with the rails to prevent lateral movement, coupling pins -connecting eacli roller and truck t0 the carriage, and driving means to engage the rollers and to move the carriages along the track.

Signed at New York, in the county'of New York and State of New York, this 27th day of November, A. D. 1928.

ERNST GEIGER. 

